Product Description

Apuleius’ story of Cupid and Psyche, the relationship of the human Soul with divine Love, is one of the great allegories of world literature. It forms an integral part of and profoundly illuminates the message of his novel Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass, which relates the adventures of a young man and his spiritual fall and redemption. To enrich and deepen his basic plot, the origins of which are obscure, Apuleius has combined poetic sources, Platonic philosophy and popular iconography in an unprecedented tour de force of literary creation. This edition sensitively elucidates the subtle art with which this transformation has been accomplished, and comprehensively illustrates both Apuleius’ inventive handling of his various models and sources and the exuberant and idiosyncratic Latinity with forms the vehicle for it. It places in a fresh light the results of recent work on the ancient Novel and on Apuleius himself, and offers a stimulating, occasionally provocative, reading of his much-discussed text. The Latin is accompanied by a facing English translation, making the edition more accessible to students of comparative literature as well as to classicists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #354386 in Books
• Published on: 1990-12-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"The translation again is in accurate, idiomatic English...but the fleshing out is left to the commentary, which is a superb help toward appreciating a rich and complex piece of artistry." The Key Reporter

"The entire work exhibits the precision and thoroughness that we expect in Kenney's scholarship....Kenney's Cupid and Psyche is a virtuosic performance and marks an auspicious beginning to the new Imperial Library from Cambridge University Press." James R. Bradley, New England Classical Journal and Newsletter

Customer Reviews

Particularly useful for those returning to Latin!
This is often used as a set text for Latin courses that bridge the gap between the "made up" Latin passages used in textbooks (e.g. Caecilius/Quintus etc from the Cambridge Latin Course) and more advanced "real" Latin.

Each chapter clearly introduce a new grammar point. As a means of consolidation a series of exercises to accompany each chapter is included at the back of the book. Do not be fooled by this book's modest appearance! I used this book whilst attending a summer course in Latin. It rekindled my love of the language *and* improved my grammar immensely! (I spent most of my schooldays barely understanding concepts like "Indirect Commands")

This book might be most useful for struggling students who could use it alongside M G Balme's "The Millionaire's Dinner Party" (written in a similar format, but with a more salacious content). Alternatively, it is a good revision aid for those who are a bit rusty and want to bring themselves back up to speed!

cogent or tendentious?
The main good thing about this book is its cogent analysis of Apuleius's neo-platonism, although I think some people don't agree with it. There aren't that many commentaries to Apuleuis (not easily available anyway), so this one is important for that reason. I've got a very vague memory that Don Quixote contains a very similar inserted story that depends on this one, so it's useful in more ways than one.